Apple's Global Smartphone Share Slips as Chinese Rivals Surge

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

iPhones are boring. It’s just a tool now. The smaller scrappier companies willing to take chances are going to garner more interest. It can’t always be about pleasing the stock holders.

iPhones have proven that some 50% or more of all consumers prefer "safe/boring/iterative" over "risky/exciting/revolutionary".

I'm not saying it's good or bad. But this notion of how iterative is per definition bad ignores the fact that most consumers don't actually have the budget or patience to shop around and experiment with new form factors or unfamiliar brands, but rather value what's "tried and true" for them over anything else.

 

[StuBeck]

And how are Apple responding? They’re ramping up planned obsolescence techniques like never before to ‘force’ users to ungrade.

My 2 year old phone isn’t just suffering from lag, stutter, unresponsiveness - it’s clearly limited to 1 charge cycle per day. Going over that and it simply won’t charge, and if you keep using it the battery level declines whilst charging. Just search and see how many people are encountering this. Once you get into the next days ‘allowance’, it charges fully.

I think its more that they are going back to their old ways rather than doing anything new. We haven't seen anything as ridiculous as the iPhone 3Gs being sold as new on contract, and then a day after being taken off the market not receiving updates for example.

This report isn't very surprising as the "smart phone" segment is diversifying, and AI seems to be the new 3D TV craze. The fact that most people don't seem that bothered by AI seems to be missed by the writer here too.

 

[I7guy]

I understand you and several people here to do, but that's not the case with the general market. I work in a non-techie but high-paying field and no ones talks about cellphone tech or brands, and no one cares what anyone is carrying or using.

It’s the opposite where I work. We all talk about tech and new phones especially apple related products. Even with non-techie people.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I’m glad there are still suckers out there being fooled by this stuff, and not seeing the blatant planned obsolescence techniques being used, as I’ve got old Apple stuff to eBay!

Good for you.

I hope you find something that you like better and doesn't fail you as suddenly as your iPhone did.

 

[The Game 161]

not surprised brands like vivo and oppo are doing some amazing things with their phones right now and pushing each other

 

[Abazigal]

How is the revenue.? Global market share is some estimate. The revenue at months end will tell the story.

We have seen this story play out a hundred times. Apple gets all the profits, while it’s a race to the bottom for everyone else.

I will say the same thing I always do. Whatever Apple’s worldwide market share may be, over 1 billion active users is still an impressive number in an absolute sense. More than enough to sustain its own thriving ecosystem. iOS users continue to be the ones with disposable income to spend on apps and accessories.

People trying to paint this as “retribution” for not releasing folding phones or allowing sideloading continue to miss the plot.

 

[iMac The Knife]

I can't speak for their slab phones, but the Chinese are making the best foldables out there right now by far. The OnePlus Open I had for a year last year, and now the Honor Magic V3 Global I have now destroy the competition. And yes, I've owned the Z Fold 6, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold as well.

 

[RMSR]

Apple has a 58%, and growing, market share in the US while their closest competitor, Samsung, has 23%.

Yes they do have a monopoly.

Apple has a 58%, and growing, market share in the US while their closest competitor, Samsung, has 23%.

Yes they do have a monopoly.

I think Apple has greater than 50 percent share in USA and Canada. It has more than 40 percent share in UK. In markets where there is strong chinese smartphone presence (including EU) their share is lower.
It has a low market share in emerging markets. I would say that the people in emerging markets value their phones more because it is invariably the only device using which they access the internet.

I think Apple knows how to take care of its shareholders, CEO, engineering staff and hopefully retail staff. I have not seen another company which has a more dedicated following who work hard to evangelize it's products for free.

In my opinion, we should focus of what gives the best value for the money we spend and not get carried away by perceived loyalty. It is only one sided. I have not seen any benefit given by apple to users who buy more of their products (like airline loyalty program)

 

[iMac The Knife]

Things missing on Apple side which Androids do well

1. Missing access to file system. It's incredibly hard to move a file to/from an iOS device to a PC. Apple makes you jump through hoops for this simple thing
2. Still not allowing sideloading ipa files except EU. Let user take full responsibility for it but have some safeguards in place like Android.
3. No foldable phones
4. Better screens comparable to top Androids like S24 Ultra
5. Still stuck on 60hz refresh rate on basic iPhones.
6. No HD-Audio/ATMOS support in iOS/TVOS yet. No passthrough
7. Still limiting USB-C speed and power on iPhones so majority of external SSDs are incompatible.
8. Poor Cellular and Wifi performance compared to top Androids.
9. Stale 5 yr old designs for most of their devices compared to Chinese Androids.

Don't forget an Apple version of Dex/Desktop Mode, and also multi-tasking. That should be number 1 and number 2 on your list.

 

[I7guy]

Apple has a 58%, and growing, market share in the US while their closest competitor, Samsung, has 23%.

Yes they do have a monopoly.

Your “opinion” is not borne out in a legal sense. Which is all that counts.

 

[iMac The Knife]

iPhones have proven that some 50% or more of all consumers prefer "safe/boring/iterative" over "risky/exciting/revolutionary".

I'm not saying it's good or bad. But this notion of how iterative is per definition bad ignores the fact that most consumers don't actually have the budget or patience to shop around and experiment with new form factors or unfamiliar brands, but rather value what's "tried and true" for them over anything else.

Then why shouldn't Apple release a foldable or a flip then? They can do this and still keep the same boring yet "safe" iPhones in their lineup. If Apple sells a foldable, it will sell very well. Mark my words.

 

[iPay]

Obviously because Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, etc. are strong competitors for example?

Reposting the question and answer:
Q. You should explain why Samsung lost market share and together with Apple was largely flat from 2023.
A. Obviously because Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, etc. are strong competitors for example?

Interestingly, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo + Huawei don't sell to the US, where Apple has ~ 58% market share.
Apple and Samsung are seriously challenged in China, at least for patriotic reasons, but they also lose ground on the global market. While premium, Apple phones are technically outpaced (so mostly brand power) and their competitors get their biggest income from entry and midrange phones, not flagships. Outside of super-specific USA and China, they're shifting for premium to luxury segment, ie bought for the brand rather than features. Great margins but no longer best products.

 

[Bustycat]

Users aren't as intelligent as Apple Intelligence.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Your “opinion” is not borne out in a legal sense. Which is all that counts.

That's not an opinion, 58% is a monopoly, by the legal definition of the word monopoly.

monopoly (n) - A company is generally considered to have a monopoly if it has at least 50% of the market share for a product or service in a specific geographic area.

Whether that is an illegal monopoly, or not, is up to the courts to decide. Monopolies are not illegal in the US; acting in a monopolistic fashion is, however.

 

[I7guy]

That's not an opinion, 58% is a monopoly, by the legal definition of the word monopoly.

Whether that is an illegal monopoly, or not, is up to the courts to decide. Monopolies are not illegal; acting in a monopolistic fashion is, however.

It is a monopoly? A legal monopoly? You’d have to show some cites for that. Being popular is not the same as a monopoly.

 

[il_teo77]

Following the article.

Smartphone overall sales have grown by 4% compared to year prior. So. 19% of 100 is 19. 18% of 104 is 18.72. Which brings a delta of .18 units sold. Adding to that the fact that the lion's share of the highest prices smartphones is still in Apple's hands... Well. A decline it is, but not as significant as the graph implies and also, I doesn't necessarily rhyme wich a decline in revenue.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

It is a monopoly? A legal monopoly? You’d have to show some cites for that. Being popular is not the same as a monopoly.

Competition And Monopoly: Single-Firm Conduct Under Section 2 Of The Sherman Act : Chapter 2

This is archived content from the U.S. Department of Justice website. The information here may be outdated and links may no longer function. Please contact webmaster@usdoj.gov if you have any questions about the archive site.

www.justice.gov

The Eleventh Circuit held that a "market share at or less than 50% is inadequate as a matter of law to constitute monopoly power."(26) The Seventh Circuit observed that "[f]ifty percent is below any accepted benchmark for inferring monopoly power from market share."(27) A treatise agrees, contending that "it would be rare indeed to find that a firm with half of a market could individually control price over any significant period."(28)

Some courts have stated that it is possible for a defendant to possess monopoly power with a market share of less than fifty percent.(29) These courts provide for the possibility of establishing monopoly power through non-market-share evidence, such as direct evidence of an ability profitably to raise price or exclude competitors. The Department is not aware, however, of any court that has found that a defendant possessed monopoly power when its market share was less than fifty percent.(30) Thus, as a practical matter, a market share of greater than fifty percent has been necessary for courts to find the existence of monopoly power.(31)

 

[Jarutais]

Apple is just re-releasing the same product since iPhone 11 with minor tweaks to the frame and minor things like dynamic island and camera control. I know innovating in 2025 isn't as easy as it was in 2010s but they could at least try to change something in the design of the phone to make it look fresh.

 

[iMac The Knife]

Monopolization Defined

The antitrust laws prohibit conduct by a single firm that unreasonably restrains competition by creating or maintaining monopoly power.

www.ftc.gov

Some people, I tell you. If any large corporation has ever used monopolistic practices, it is Apple.

 

[progx]

Since the Chinese government is kind of forcing their citizens to buy on their “endorsed” phones, I’m not surprised they continue to decline.

 

[progx]

Apple is just re-releasing the same product since iPhone 11 with minor tweaks to the frame and minor things like dynamic island and camera control. I know innovating in 2025 isn't as easy as it was in 2010s but they could at least try to change something in the design of the phone to make it look fresh.

They’re all doing it. Google is going all in on AI features for Android, there hasn’t been much out of any of the other leaders either. The smartphone business has become such a monolith that it has to be snail paced, much like PC.

 

[I7guy]

Competition And Monopoly: Single-Firm Conduct Under Section 2 Of The Sherman Act : Chapter 2

This is archived content from the U.S. Department of Justice website. The information here may be outdated and links may no longer function. Please contact webmaster@usdoj.gov if you have any questions about the archive site.

www.justice.gov

The Eleventh Circuit held that a "market share at or less than 50% is inadequate as a matter of law to constitute monopoly power."(26) The Seventh Circuit observed that "[f]ifty percent is below any accepted benchmark for inferring monopoly power from market share."(27) A treatise agrees, contending that "it would be rare indeed to find that a firm with half of a market could individually control price over any significant period."(28)

Some courts have stated that it is possible for a defendant to possess monopoly power with a market share of less than fifty percent.(29) These courts provide for the possibility of establishing monopoly power through non-market-share evidence, such as direct evidence of an ability profitably to raise price or exclude competitors. The Department is not aware, however, of any court that has found that a defendant possessed monopoly power when its market share was less than fifty percent.(30) Thus, as a practical matter, a market share of greater than fifty percent has been necessary for courts to find the existence of monopoly power.(31)

Basically no then. What I was asking was a finding that apple was found to have monopoly power? There was none.

 

[awisdom]

Apple Intelligence is the beginning of the long death of Apple. Mark my words. Apple is done.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Basically no then. What I was asking was a finding that apple was found to have monopoly power? There was none.

I didn't say they were acting an in illegal monopolistic fashion or using monopoly power, just that they have a monopoly. Again, it's not illegal to be a monopoly, ever (in the US). It's illegal to use that status as an advantage to push out competitors or manipulate the market.

As of right now, the justice department thinks Apple is acting with illegal monopoly power as they are being sued for it. We'll see how it plays out in the courts.

Justice Department Sues Apple for Monopolizing Smartphone Markets

The Justice Department, joined by 16 other state and district attorneys general, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Apple for monopolization or attempted monopolization of smartphone markets in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Act.

www.justice.gov

 

[sdz]

iPhones are too expensive.